Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Here are the notes I took in class on our discussion...theyre choppy but effective.

Sherry Turkle-“Computer Holding Power”MUD and MOO-text based online virtual reality“The medium is the message”Games convey an idea of rule based, constructed worldWe feel out of control, thus we retreat to game world to feel in controlThe difference between TV and Games-TV is more passiveSocialization to computers-learn their patterns of behaviorPinball machine-learn properties of gravity?Sense of “Close to the edge, but not threatening” makes games appealingWomen Players in videogames---Gender roles through videogamesIdea of men finding strong females attractive rather than scary½ of female players WoW are played by menLara Croft Game video “I don’t know about being born, but I just happened”-from the filmDiscussed the film…felt too much like looking at a game rather than watching a filmGeneral consensus of confusion in the movie The film portrayed her in a different way than the actual game does

Saturday, December 5, 2009

SURVEY OF NEW MEDIA-TERM PAPER-ABSTRACTIn my paper, I plan to discuss how remixing and sampling has affected the music industry today. In particular, I want to discuss how it impacts and basically shapes the hip-hop community in several ways. I will use quotes from the very insightful DJ Spooky about how the 20th century was such a defining time period in remixability and mash-ups, because of how media changed. A large aspect to my paper will be based on how well I can highlight the contrast in how music absorption by the public changed from the 19th to 20th century. Such events as the invention of the radio and record player made music more readily available over a large area. For the first time in history, music didn’t just have to be heard live; Rather, it could be listened to multiple times, and more importantly, at the will of the listener. This change is so important today because the vast availability of different music is the fundam ental element that sparked the birth of remixing and sampling. By being able to hear music over and over, people began to have the idea of instead of starting from scratch (or simply creating music based on genres they heard in their town or village), they could take the completed work of another person and alter it in a way to make it unique and unique sounding to that individual. In a way, by remixing, it became possible to define one’s own music vicariously through the work of another. Also I will have to talk about the negative backlash of remixing and sampling. So often today people consider those who sample the work of other artists to have a lack of creativity; that they are using the work of another person as a crutch. In my paper I will counter act this point by explaining the certain level of homage that is automatically delivered to the original piece by altering it. It is not an insult, rather, it is a compliment [to the original] that the artist was so inspired by the music that they thought they needed to make their own song using it; that they believed in the piece so much as to make it an integral part of their own original song. I will cite the work of such producers as Kanye West, who seem to constantly sample, and how a whole new meaning can be given to a song by utilizing the sample as a jumping off point for creativity, not a hindrance to it. Also, a key point to this will be being able to define what exactly a sample is. In this day and age, when one has the ability to listen to thousands of songs by simply clicking a mouse, it is impossible to say that every artist in some way “samples” the work of another previous work, simply by being inspired by it. By listening to a song we enjoy we are given ideas about several things. For the musician, even subconsciously it is possible that they receive ideas about a song of their own because of something they heard. In this sense, it is fair to say all work today is a remix of several thousands of songs, because artists/musicians always affect other artists, which is reflected in their work.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

I thought for my paper I would explore the idea of the cyborg in American film. Because the scope of this topic is so large I will have to narrow my focus down to only a few movies. I find that particularly in American film, the cyborg is presented as being an unstoppable, destructive force, hell bent on eradicating humanity. I thought I could start by looking at the borg in Star Trek. Then move on to the unstoppable technological bionic android gone awry, like seen in the movie The Terminator. I will link Donna Harraway’s ideas in The Cyborg Manifesto to the human whose mind has been colonized by a simulated reality from which s/he cannot unplug, as in The Matrix. I think that will prove a good blend because it is a great example of the machine-human binary system. I’m also interested in computers with human-like minds, like HAL in 2001: A Space Odyssey, and link that to computer applications such as cleverbot. I can explore the idea further of machines being able to replace life, and quarrel with the concept of whether or not machines will ever be considered alive. Mostly I want to focus on what seems (at least through Hollywood cinema) to be an extreme paranoia of the human race concerning Cyborgs, and whether or not they will replace and control us. I think with all this, I will have enough for ten pages. I’ll probably wind up having too much. If that is the case I will narrow my focus down further and omit a few films from my analysis.

I disagree with the notion that games ought to only have static affordances, and no new skills or tools etc. From experience playing games like that, while there is a certain level of mundane repetition, it encourages the player not to try and breeze through the game as fast as possible, but to take their and time and look for every available means to improve themselves along the way. It teaches them to be thorough, which I feel encourages less laziness, not to mention a level of strategy when it comes to deciding on how one should spend a limited amount of money.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

I disagree with the Norwegian author about how games with levels are promoting capitalistic competition. This is not what games are teaching. American market competition is healthy competition that keeps society at a balance or slight unbalance. Competing in a game is directly related to exterminating an opponent completely.

There is not much to learn from video games. They are simply forms of entertainment. They are very enthralling because they are an interactive way of experiencing something we wish we could in real life (without dying). The strategy argument was somewhat understandable, but usually these things are specified in a game in a way that it really does not relate to anything outside of gaming and even that category of game. Games are for fun. Learning is not fun. It is interesting at many times, but not as appealing to a bored human on a repetitive schedule as killing aliens is.

I will say that video games do help develop hand-eye coordination, but ONLY for those who have grown up on video games. It seems that adults of this time are helpless with game controls and buttons. They are not as quick because they are not as accustomed to what our generation of gamers considers gaming basics.

...and we learn the same way here in America as they do in Norway, it probably just costs more.

With the new age of technology communicating is becoming easier every day. We have many social networking sites such as myspace, facebook and twitter. These sites make it possible for many people from very far away to converse almost instantly without using the phone. It is easy for us to keep up to date on our friends; we know where they are, what they are doing, even what they are having for dinner that night. These sites have made it possible to share almost every aspect of our lives on a day to day basis with friends and strangers. Other then social networking sites there are many other ways to communicate using new technology. I am specifically interested in ways of communicating using media that is artistic. One way that is growing at a rapid pace is collaboration channels on youtube. Collaboration channels are youtube channels that involve two or more members that post videos almost every day in order to keep in touch. Another artistic form of media communication is website like post secret and learning to love you more that consist of people who post things about themselves anonymously. Although these are not meant to be the kind of communication from one person to another they are meant to communicate a greater message to a larger group of people.

It is hard to connect with what the author is stating in this article. Apparently, people see images from in-game play even when they are not playing the game. I am in no way a "gamer", but there have been occasions for me where several hours have been spent playing a video game - be it mario kart, halo, etc. In no way have these games had an influence on me, violent or not, after I finished playing them. This may be for the reason of my gameplay being based around a social gathering, and not being completely subdued into the game with concentration on nothing but. It is also debatable with the comment that the author made comparing violence in video games to violence in movies/on tv. I do not necessarily agree that violence is worse on film/tv. I think the control over the violent acts that a gamer has makes it much more influential to violent acts than being spoon fed similar content through a scripted source.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Whether you are a gamer or not, it is evident that video games have undoubtedly been a new force in today's media. Games over the years have evolved rapidly, with many new features being implemented over time. In particular, I plan to discuss the communication aspect that gaming now offers the masses, and how it actually may promote social interaction (both virtual and actual), contradicting the common notion that many gamers lack social skills or are socially inept. Years ago, games were only meant to played by one or two people, sitting in the same room. Now hundreds upon thousands of people can log into an account and play the game together all over the world. Headsets now are considered standard for the Xbox 360 and PS3, and the use of such tools promotes players to interact with one another on a field only possible when people were sitting in the same room. Some multiplayer games nowadays are much easier when cooperating and communicating with other people, such as in titles like Left 4 Dead, which encourage players to stick together lest they want to be beaten by a horde of zombies. The Nintendo Wii and titles like Mario Party lend themselves to group sessions between people. Games such as Rock Band and Guitar Hero actually have messages during loading screens that encourage players to have their friends pick up instrument peripherals and rock out to music. And even more recently, Microsoft has released an update for the Xbox whereby users may hop onto their Twitter and Facebook accounts with full functionality.

I plan to also touch upon the subject and theories of the cyborg, and the notion that players may have these "alternate" lives or realities on the screen.

In my paper i will talk about with Locative Media and how Youtube can be used in a Locative Media Project. It can get points across and provide a video of information about a certain place or thing to help the Locative media project take shape to make more sense and overall be more user friendly for the participants. The point of a locative media project is to follow instructions from a Global Positioning Device either accessed directly from a cell phone or through the Internet from an iphone or laptop to guide participants through a place and for them to hit spots where information or a task will be provided In this paper I will be talking more about locative media projects, I will talk about the growth and importance of Youtube, and I will talk about the possitive effect Youtube has on a Locative Media Project when it is incorporated.

Many statistics are widely disputed or potentially skewed, however there is little debate about the amount of American homes that have at least one television set in them – nearly 100%. A 2008 survey (taken by Internetworldstats.com) reported that 80.6% of American homes have access to a PC. While this means that 1 in 5 television watchers do not have a computer, this does not stop the ever-growing trend of moving “television” programs to the new one-stop hub that is a computer (and that is Web 2.0). Hulu, one of the most popular websites that offer streaming TV content, was created by effectively merging most of the content from NBC Universal and News Corp. (Fox's parent company) onto this one site. According to NBC Universal CEO Jeff Zucker, “If we didn't do this, we knew someone else would.”

So what does this all mean for the future of television as we know it? While there are plenty of people who do most of their television viewing on their computers now, the majority of Americans will continue to own TV sets for years to come. While streaming websites can provide high quality sound and picture, they cannot come close to matching the highest resolution that can be found on many new high definition (HD) televisions. Experts in this field predict that in about a decade, 'Ultra HDTVs” will be able to deliver four to 16 times the resolution of current HDTV sets which will certainly give many consumers a reason to not solely use their computers to watch television.

However, Hulu (and other websites that provide streaming television) is not the only way for Americans to watch TV programs when not around an actual television set. Websites such as Amazon.com and iTunes' media store allow consumers to buy episodes of their favorite shows for a small fee (usually $1 - $5) right after they air so that they can watch them on-the-go (on a digital media player) or at home at their leisure. Just ten years ago, nobody would have dreamed that many Americans would actually prefer to watch television shows on a three inch screen, however that is the new reality that we're living in. My term paper will examine all the ways that Americans can watch television without actually watching television -- because why would you want to do that?

I want to reiterate the importance and significance of McLuhan’s theory of the tetrad of new technologies in Laws of Media: The New Science. By examining technological developments long after his time, I will confirm McLuhan’s theory still correct, and call attention to its paramount significance. I will explore the pros and cons of the tetrad on cellular phone text messaging and internet social networking sites. I will reveal what each form of media enhances, obsolesces, retrieves, and reverses. The results should be eye opening, and encourage people to rethink the way we approach our future technological advancements with McLuhan's tetrad in mind.

Monday, November 30, 2009

My paper will explore the different aspects for the lack of technology infusion in the United States. It will look at the rising of the Iphone, the uprising of newer technology in Japan, and then it will focus on what this media means for the future of technology. I’m interested in looking into what has made the Iphone such a great phone and the idea behind Iphone, the smart phone technology and where the technology could go from here, given the opportunity, and the infusion of Asian influence Looking at places like Japan and different parts of Asia, you see an influx of newer technologies being unlocked and available for users. This technology is newer and makes greater use of smart phone capabilities over what we in the United States have yet. I want to pose the question as to why that is , and go over possibilities. Places that have this upgraded technology have better access and better user equipment. I want to explore what would happen if this technology was released earlier in the United States and how that would of effected users and user interfaces of technology in production.

The Internet is possibly the most expansive and interesting case of technology changing and shaping the concepts of communication and networking in modern society, since with its freedom of expression, various forms of creative contribution, and multiple social connective outlets, has influenced the way people interact with each other in this day and age. Most especially young adults and teenagers, and generations outside of that target group are involved in the many ways people become a social figure on the Internet.

Obviously since this medium is entirely dependent on users and their input, customization, creativity, and networking with others, these facets of communication are very audience interactive and defined by their desires and needs, not so much a third-party invented format for people to interact within. Much like Kaprow’s Happenings, sometimes these methods of communication aren’t necessarily based on a greater mean outside of the ability to communicate. In some cases, a site can exist just to offer the ability to communicate with someone else. Citing multiple forms of communication and networking available on the Internet, and the chronological buildup of how these websites and services formed and grew, there are a variety of ways to show how interaction with other people has changed, with multiple artistic and kinesthetic implications that previous artistic movements and theories can support and explain.

In the opening paragraphs I will provide a brief history, and in plain terms the definition of what the cut- ups were all about. I will also cite what I plan to discuss in my paper. I will further explain the technique used by the cut-ups and define the style in a relatable manner. Through audio samples, research, and other works of art I will better explain the cut-ups mission. Articles I plan to use are ones about Brian Gysin’s view on the Cut-Ups and Art, Remixability & Modularity by Lev Manovich and The Art of Reproduction by Walter Benjamin. The different group of cut ups that have developed recently and through pop culture will also be discussed along with the relation to a kinesthetic experience. An analysis will close the paper, and hopefully I am able to find an appropriate work of art to do just that.

In exploring how people interact with technology, I am looking at new(er) methods of input and feedback from the devices we use. When it comes to tactile and wearable interfaces, advances are pushing us away from just pointing and clicking with a mouse and typing on a keyboard in response to a graphical user interface (GUI). I would like to highlight some emerging and popular digital-physical hybrid technologies in the paper.

Touch screen technology, such as capacitive touch sensing is a relatively mature electronic technology that allows a user to interact directly with a 2D or 3D interface on a flat display. Not only good for ease of use and speed, this interface coupled with graphic layouts essentially are an extension of the person's hand, as they are using their fingers directly on the display.

Virtual Reality is a means of putting the user into a virtual space that is generally navigable through arm or leg motions, and a Head Mounted Display provides the visual feedback. This is useful for accessing fictional or experiential realms that are unattainable otherwise.

Augmented Reality is the concept of layering data and information over top of a (generally) live feed of audio or video. This is an incredible way to enhance our interactions of the physical world around us, by incorporating compiled metadata about the locations we visit. In a sense, this technique is similar to the way we interact with objects on a computer (access to description and other specific traits), but shifted to the real world.

Over the years, we hear more and more about the decline of newspapers. This is nearly always linked to the rise of the Internet. The prevalent age groups of newspaper readers gets higher and higher as less young people take interest in them. As the Internet grows, it becomes a greater haven for quick, free information. A common belief for the reason of newspapers dwindling is their inability to cope with and embrace our age of new media. Other entertainment and news mediums such as television and magazines have found ways to make use of the Internet, and while many news papers such as The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal have made large Internet news sources, it’s undeniable that their readership continues to shrink.

Word of the downfall of newspapers started in the early days of television. Ad revenue shrunk, but loyal readers kept the companies going. As readers shift to the more convenient and to the point style of Internet news, newspapers face serious trouble. Not only is the Internet the new best place for advertisers, it’s also easily to track sales and adjust business strategies. The Internet just seems to continue to improve all aspects of newspapers, while newspapers themselves haven’t offered enough to keep, or bring in new readers.

Of course newspapers are being hit the hardest in America. Improved literacy and cheaper manufacturing and production costs in other countries have created a rise in newspapers there. Many people in America have even gone on record saying that they are sure the newspaper industry is not in trouble, but the shifting of readers and advertisers from newspapers to the Internet makes the future of newspapers look dim.

Silver OgboguSurvey for new mediaNovember 30, 2009. ABSTRACT FOR FINAL PAPER In class, we discussed the evolution of technology and how it enhances our communication. I will explore the reasons for the creation of devices such as the Nintendo Wii. This paper will concentrate mainly on four aspects of how the Nintendo Wii impacts its users, mainly by how it enhances, retrieves, obsolesce, and replaces the devices that preceded it. This paper will explore a brief background on the Nintendo Wii in order to establish a foundation. Moreover, the Nintendo Wii will be examined in terms of how it enhances users’ interaction with video games. Furthermore, the Nintendo Wii will also be compared and contrasted to other video games. Based on how technology has evolved, this device, Nintendo Wii retrieves a lot from the other devices that preceded it. Also the Wii’s purpose is not only to entertain but to keep its users active. Therefore, this device is packed with entertainment and fun-filled physical activities which will guarantee productivity. Surely, the Nintendo Wii could be obsolete in many ways. Since it is different from other video games, it serves a unique purpose. If anyone has ever seen the Wii user in action, they will without a doubt know that it has a distinct function compared to other video games. Particularly, the primary purpose for video games are to entertain the user without the user having to exert themselves or use much effort and energy. However, the Nintendo Wii was designed with an additional and uncommon feature found in video game, the motion sensor feature, which forces its users to engage in physically active situations. Furthermore, the Wii replaces several excising items. Sources possibly to be used for the paper:http://www.nintendo.com/wii/whathttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/nintendo/6672402/Nintendo-Wii-most-popular-console-among-female-gamers.htmlhttp://reviews.cnet.com/consoles/nintendo-wii/4505-10109_7-31355104.htmlhttp://www.google.comhttp://library.temple.edu/articles/dbfinder/;jsessionid=56174D96C4E1AEAE776E825F4954EC64?subjects=39&bhcp=1

The main focus of my paper will be the progression of GPS. I plan on beginning with the how it began as solely a military tool. It could even be said it was used for ‘negative’ reasons, spying and such. Eventually the technology was made available for consumers and so began the TomTom and Garmin age. GPS’s were built into people’s cars and made for hand held use. Using it for a directional and location tool became its main focus. I may discuss its integration on smart phones and how everyone always knows where they are at all times now. From there I would like to discuss how GPS started to be used as something more than a tool for getting around. GPS opens us up to the rest of the world, so it was only a matter of time until people began using for more than what originally intended. Geocaching will be the next topic of focus. Geocaching is the recreational activity of hunting for and finding a hidden object by means of GPS coordinates posted on a Web site. Discussing this will display how its uses slowly began to go beyond ‘practical’ means. I plan on discussing different aspects of Geocaching and how there are various types of puzzles that involve GPS and problem solving. From there I’d introduce more abstract art forms that involve GPS, such as locative media. Teri Rueb would be a focus point, also some of the walks I’ve personally seen in the “Walk Philly” project. There are several discussions about the idea of our relationship to the ‘place’ like ‘The Poetics of Augmented Space: Learning from Prada’ and Drew Hemment’s ‘The Locative Dystopia.’ The overall goal is to display how something can go from a strict tool with a specific reason, to an art medium in a matter of years. Looking at things differently can yield various results, using things we see everyday for something different all together.

I decided to design a map showing some of the cultural art organizations in Philadelphia. These non-profit organizations would be interesting to learn about. So I created a map indicating where these organizations are located. In addition, a group of people would use the map to get to these locations. When each person arrives at a location he/she would learn about the history of the organization and how it helps the community. A brief tour with the organization through the community might be suggested. Afterwards, the people would also share their experiences with others.

I’ve decided to explore virtual reality as a topic. I’ve framed this abstract as a sort of outline of what I intend my paper to talk about.

First I wish to discuss the slow progression towards full immersion, with things such as higher resolution TVs, IMAX, motion sensitive video games, and 3D projection screens.

The next section shall look at how once photorealism is achieved and the uncanny valley overcome, the next step is to take the image and feel as if one is standing within. It’s about the many doors that working in VR open, how it can change entertainment, art, and society the for the better.

Then I’ll look more closely at each medium that is changed, and examine all of the ways that virtual reality can detract from entertainment, art, and particularly social interactions. I see the increase in digital interaction with VR, or even with facebook is similar to moving from a rural area to a city. The flow of information increases as does encounters with people, but real conversation, socializing, and connecting diminishes.

Ultimately I hope not to absolutely demonize computerized interaction, but to point out how it causes changes for both better and worse.

Technology is all around us. It pervades every possible corner of human life from birth to death and spans all genres and cultures. The more we develop newer, better, faster machines, the more they become similar to the humans who created them. Many technologies are simple extensions of human abilities and are modeled closely after them. Communication technology has become huge in recent years with the standard consumer having at least one cell phone if not more communication devices. The Global Positioning System (GPS) has also been a huge step forward in determining exact geographic place on the face of the planet. Although these technologies make some things drastically easier (such as sending a message across the world or connecting two people who could never physically meet), they have also made it much harder for humans to connect with one another in emotional ways. Everything is facilitated by technology and this could have a drastic effect on the social skills of humans when interacting in real space. In my study, I aim to describe the ways in which Locative Media, a form of new media that tries to discern the linkage between people and technology and makes them think critically about the spaces they are moving through and the design of those spaces, can actually be a way of bringing people close together. Not in a physical sense, but in the emotionally connected sense. Drawing on readings from class and specific case studies of these plans put into action, it is my goal to prove that the blurring of lines between humans and other humans as well as humans and their environment can not only be facilitated by technology, but strengthened by it.

Resources:

Psychogeography and the derive: http://www.geog.leeds.ac.uk/people/a.evans/psychogeog.html

I would Like to explore the evolution of smart phone technology, but in other countries such as Japan. I'd like to go more in depth about the lack of technology coming over to the United States, and the reasons that keep us from getting newer technology faster, whats keeping us from it and where this technology, when available, will take us in the future

Sunday, November 29, 2009

For my term paper I would like to explore artificial intelligence. I would like to discuss the future of media and culture including the economy and politics. I would like to use popular resources like movies, websites, and modern technology.

Thursday, November 26, 2009

For the topic of my term paper I would like to choose the uprising of the smartphone in our technology-driven generation. It has affected the way we communicate with others, our social relationships, and our sense of space and place within the physical world. Communication with the world around us can now sit in our pocket and be readily available at our fingertips - and we are the guinea pigs of this smartphone phenomena.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

I think a good idea for my term paper would be on a term called platform agnosticism: the notion that viewers do not care about the medium in which a message is received. For example: people watch movies on ipods instead of on the big screen or on a television set. Why is this? What effects does it have on commercialization of certain technologies? How can this help evolve technology? What other ways is this idea evident besides just with T.V's, big-screens, and ipods? Is this result of technological advancement good or bad?

I would like to write my paper about how people are completely dependent upon computers and the internet. The computer has completely changed the way the world works and with internet everything a persons needs to know about anything is available always no matter what time of day or for the most place what location a person is located. As the computer was created it was made to make typing papers and doing simple mathematics much easier. Now the computer is an amazing machine. It learns off the person using it.Also, with web pages being created daily it seems like there always a new site being created for people to interact with other people with out actually being social. This is creating a major problem with how people are growing up and learning basic social interactions.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

I would like for my term paper to focus on the video game industry and how it has evolved rapidly. Both PCs and consoles now offer features that enable users to communicate, thereby changing the way people interact with one another. These features are often considered to be standard in the gaming industry today, but a few years back they were considered to be new-age.

I would like to write my paper on the way we communicate today using new technologies. I would look at social networking sites such as myspace and facebook but I would mostly like to focus on the artistic side of this new way of communicating. For this I would like to look deeper into youtube, mostly focusing on collaboration channels like vlogbrothers, 5awesomegays, 5awesomegirls and 5awesomeguys. I would also look at communicative art projects like post secret, where people can communicate anonymously but artistically.

Today in the begining of class we discussed our term papers. Next week we need to have an abstract of our paper submitted to the blog. It needs to be one page long and the final paper is due the week after on December 8.

The next thing we did was watch McCluhan's Wake which discussed Marshall McCluhan's life and his 4 Laws of Media. McCluhan's 4 Laws of Media are:

1. What will this thing enhance?2. What will this tool obsolesce?3. What will this tool retrieve from the things you lost?4. How will this tool reverse on you when it is pushed to its outer limit?

After listening to Marshall McCluhan's descriptions of his 4 Laws of Media we went over our own examples. We discussed cell phones, skyscrapers, and cars.

I want to do my term paper on the communications of new technology. I would be discussing the different social networking websites like twitter, myspace and facebook, and also the history of the sites and how they came to be so popular. Also im very intrigued by the way people communicate through video games now a days, with online gaming people, make new friends without actually ever meeting them. It's quite astounding knowing you perform an everyday activity with someone the can be across the nation or across the world.

For my term paper, i would like to focus on the internet and primarily viral videos. You used to need thousands of dollars to produce videos and even more money to get them out to the public. Now videos can be made for practically nothing and they can also be distributed all around the world for free with use of the internet.

I would like explore the development of the internet's social networking sites, as well as cell phones, to the point of where they are today, and how they have changed how we socially interact. I want to explore how this new wave of communication and self-representation effects the psyche, and see how/if it is really hindering our face-to-face social skills/interactions. One of the most important issues I want to cover is the diminishing of privacy. If you aren't broadcasting to the whole world what you're up to via "status update", people can always call/text you're cell phone to see where you are/what you're doing... and if they still can't find you, don't worry, you're phone is equipped with GPS.

My idea for my term paper is to explore the idea of YouTube and the masses ability to market themselves globally via YouTube. The accessibility of this idea is whats really interesting, all you need now a days is a cell phone.

For my paper, I'd like to examine online gaming; its history and its impact in the last ten or so years. There are many different genres of games and each allows for a different kind of social interaction with people. I'd like to incorporate theories about EAT and i think this can tie into the cyborg theory since we are using these computer games as extensions of ourselves

I plan to do my term paper on the Cut Up technique and its influences. Some of the media mentioned in the class presentation I found interesting and some I happen to already be a fan of. I plan to use research and books as well as the actual art that was influenced by these methods for my paper. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Monday, November 23, 2009

For my term paper I want to explore/re-explore the topic of remixing/sampling/mash-ups...but particularly in music. This is seem so often today especially in the hip hop community...so I want to explore how combining 2 or more songs can create an entirely new experience aurally.

For my term paper I want to write about how the internet and the rise of the availability of free music downloads has effected the music industry. I want to explore the opinions of those who think of it as a good thing because unknown artists are able to gain popularity by giving away their music, and those who see the artists suffering because they are not making the money that they believe they deserve.

With my term paper I would like to examine how the Internet and its freedom of expression, various forms of creative contribution, and multiple social networks, has affected and shaped the way people in modern society communicate, share information and original creations, and form relationships with one another than previously before. I also hope to examine how this has affected, for better or worse, the way people do the same thing in real life.

I would like to discover more about the leap in interfaces from text-based DOS machines to the modern 2D Graphical User Interface with several input methods (keyboard, mouse, joystick) to newer input methods such as optical and capacitive sensing.

I’d like to do my term paper on 3-D technology in films. I want to look into its history and why it is only now becoming popular. Also, I want to look into its use and possible impact on the film industry, and, with that its possible impact on humans and our sensory perception.

I'd like to do my term paper on GPS. I'd discuss how its grown and changed from being a strictly military device and service to how its changed how we do things everyday. I'd also like to discuss Geocaching within the overall topic of GPS.

For my term paper topic I would like to look into how the growth of internet has changed the way we view videos/movies. How our idea of a film has changed through out time leading up to now. Also I would discuss how advances in the technology we have has helped bring this about.

I would like to do my paper on mashups. From audio to video to other forms of multimedia, mashups have become an ever-growing part of our media culture. I would like to explore the origins of the mashup, how it evolved, and how it has become an ever-present part of available media; How it has even become a part of pop culture. I would like to discuss different types of mashups and what they represent. I also plan to discuss the technology that led to proliferation of the mashup, which made it easier for the average person to create these works. The final item I plan to discuss is the significance the mashup has in the world of new media.

I'd like to research social networking sites and their impact on our ability to interact with people online versus person to person contact. I think with the growing popularity of sites such as Facebook and Twitter, online communication has taken on a new set of rules and regulations that were not always present. Understanding how individuals communicate through these sites and how this affects their communication with others in the real world would be an interesting topic to further research. My major points would include a brief history of both Facebook and Twitter, studies that describe online communication vs. person to person interactions, and how younger generations are directly affected by the prevalence of online communication.

I'd like to do my term paper on the mp3 player (like the iPod) and "smart" phones like the iPhone and Blackberry. We now literally have information at the touch of a button 24/7. These devices have altered our lives in ways barely imagined 20 years. They're educational, documentary, artistic, cinematic, and so much more and alter our sensory and kinesthetic experiences in so many ways. The mp3 player and the "smart" cell phone have impacted our culture tremendously and is one step toward evolutionizing our world to a point of 100% connectedness. I believe that because these devices exist, we as consumers will always have some sort of narrative to whatever we are doing. Want to know the history of the street corner you're on? Googgle it on your iPhone. Watch the music video you just saw a billboard for. Can't remember that actress' name? Check IMDb. Can't wait to share your experience at the Dave Matthews Concert? Post your cell phone video on YouTube or Facebook immediately. Because of the "smart" phone, we are creating a narrative of our lives in quick, short blurbs. The mp3 player gives us a constant soundtrack to our life, or a supplement to a lecture, or a language tutor, or a comedy skit, and so on.

For my term paper, I would like to research the history, growth, and current state of the Internet, and how it has impacted mass media. The Internet has turned all media standards upside down since it's creation and continues to do so. Many old industries have been forever changed, and not in a good way, by the rise of the Internet. Major points will be the rise of online newspapers, world-linking communications, and piracy.

With the fairly new technology of virtual reality, several doors have been opened in expanding the way we explore spaces, the way we interact with each other, and possibly our perception of the world around us. With it, new and near total control of a totally three dimensional environment is given to people, and the ability to make virtual worlds existing inside computers take on a whole new level of realism, that otherwise would have been impossible on a 2D screen or even a holographic screen.

With this new technology, additionally a whole new medium opens up in which new forms of art work can be created. Imagine, instead of a 2D painting on a canvas of let's say, an abstract piece, with this the colors, shapes, and composition would totally surround the viewer and give an experience unparalleled and unexplored before.

Consider how this might be used in contemporary mainsteam media, as films are transformed into a completely different experience, or video games become so immersive you feel the feel and possibly even the pain of the character.

Finally consider how this level of interaction could social interactions. Could someone, instead of visting someone in person, meet then in a virtual community space online? Imagine if Second Life or an MMO allowed people all across the world to meet in the same virtual room, communicating as if they were really in the same area. Think about how that might affect time spent physically travelling outdoors, or other activity located in the real world.

YouTube has expanded media narrative in that any person with a camera and Internet access can distribute any story he or she wants, allowing anyone to be an author, and allowing any subject or event to be told as a story. YouTube has removed traditional sensory experiences and created new sensory rituals that users extend into real world interactions.

Saturday, November 21, 2009

On Thursday, we continue to talk about cyborg. We looked at a couple websites that attempt to create an online chatting AI. First we looked at Eliza test, an attempt to create a cyber-therapist. It was not successful at all, as it fail to answer the simplest question such as "how are you". Another AI chatbot, Cleverbot, is a much improved AI bot. he can give you an answer that make sense most of the time, and it can even make jokes.The difference between the two AI is that, while Eliza answers with preset messages base on the keywords it find in the question, Cleverbot "learns" from the people it had conversation with. Cleverbot have a large database that stores all conversation it encounters and dish it out when similar conversation occur. After playing around with the Cleverbot a bit, we talked about how robotics/technology have change people's value of life. Dis-Armor, a "psychocultural prosthetic equipment designed to meet the communicative need of the alienated, traumatized, and silenced residents of today's cities.". The class ended by watching a short video of another form of communication through technology. In the video, a speaker will speak about their bitter past experience, and they will be project onto a building showing only their face or hands depends on the building. This method brings the audiences to know the speaker better, since most time when we listen to lecture we are unable to see the speaker's face or hand movement so closely.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

This article brought up a few interesting points in comparing physical thought process between man and machine. I found it humorous that in some aspects the machine could portray a realistic human response but not vice versa. For example, with a math question, a human could only answer so quickly, and an accurate instantaneous response isn't very realistic. A computer on the other hand could have the answer right away, but "mock" the human by increasing the response time. With the idea of computers mocking a true form, a hobby of mine comes to mind. This can be related to electronic and tube-driven guitar amplifiers and effect pedals. The traditional tube tone was originally achieved before modern electronics and circuitry, and despite the flux of modern electronic guitar equipment, many agree that the original tube tone is preferred. Some ask; will cost effective electronic gear ever fully replace the traditional tube design? Here is where the idea of mocking comes in. With each having such separately distinct sounds currently, some say that electronic circuitry will eventually be able to fully and effectively mock the desired tube tone, and the traditional pricey medium will be replaced.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Today, we continued with presentations and discussions concerning the cyborg. There is a general consensus that a cyborg is made up of constituent parts of several different beings, whether they be man, machine, or animal. As such, a cyborg tends to be a merger of ideals intrinsic to its components. The over-arching question was how a cyborg overcomes these perhaps clashing binary ideals and dualisms. Such ideals include technological/human, male/female, human/animal, living/nonliving, self/other, etc. We determined that it was difficult to actually imagine a realistic cyborg, since we depend so much on these binary oppositions. For example, we like to think about life, not death. We categorize ourselves as either male or female, good or bad.

The idea of a human/technology merger may not seem so far-fetched, however, since we already coexist with technology in today's society. Overcoming gender binary oppositions seemed to be much more difficult, and almost impossible to eliminate the distinction between male and female.

We also touched upon the notion of alienation as the "other" or unknown. Alienation serves as the foundation of inequality.

The class ended with us viewing some works and images by performance artists such as Orlan and stelarc.

I believe that with each new experience one is given/goes through, they will be able to take something away (be it an ideal, thought or new perspective) from it that will help them to succeed later in life. Virtual reality makes just about anything possible, not only to have fun with (imagine the VR Wii!) but also to give anyone who is looking for it something out of the ordinary realm of possibility. As for practical, useful applications of virtual reality, the Army could use it on their soldiers to train them and give them a very realistic simulation of a real war zone. It might be expensive (I'm not sure the actual cost of VR, I'd just think it must cost quite a bit), however any individual could potentially be given any experience that might be normally impossible for them to have. For example, a person who has never seen the Grand Canyon before (and also does not have the means to make it to Arizona) could go there in a virtual reality and see a gorgeous part of the world that they normally wouldn't have. It of course wouldn't be just like the real thing, but if you don't know any better (and the replica is convincing enough) then it might as well be.

What interests me the most about using VR as a medium of art is the unique control of the fourth dimension, time. One can immerse themself into any point in time, past, present, future, be it time of day or a specific date. The only negative thing is, as far as I know, we do not have the technology for true "full body immersion". Davies talks about the needed expansion of the visual experience, which I agree with. When you see out of the corner of your eye, in your peripheral vision, the room you are in and people around you, it takes away from the experience. In order to be truely immersed, by Davies' definition, I think you need all of your senses immersed into the virtual realm, not just your vision. The most powerful link between your memory and an experience is the sense of olfactory. Imagine the possibilities of full body immersion in a virtual realm, when you can see, smell, hear, and even feel elements in an virtual experience.Regardless of the technological progress, I could definitely see this being a potentially huge medium of art because it allows people to share experiences. There is so much to learn from this. Instead of sharing a story with someone, you could recreate the experience in a virtual realm and have people experience it just as you did. You could create possible future disaster scenerios to open the eyes of unexpecting people. There endless possibilities, and that's why it is such an exciting progressive thing.

It is no secret I sometimes disagree with the authors of our readings and in the of the implications of VR I again question the motives of the author. I would love to have explained to me how this following quote has anything what so ever to do with VR. In "alt.civilization.faq: Cyberspace as the Darker Side of the West", Ziauddin Sardar (1996:34) describes cyberspace and VR as "the product of the collective consciousness of Western culture" issuing from a techno-Utopian ideology ripe with subconscious perceptions and prejudices. These prejudices include the gender bias of a phallo-centric culture, not only in terms of privileging sharply-focused sight (Lefebvre's eye of God, the Father), but also interface techniques whereby, especially in games, the traditionally masculine will to master is rewarded. Such bias also includes the desire to leave the body behind.[3].” Why is it that every time we have a new form of media introduced we are confronted with radical feminism ideology and completely unbalanced with different non ideological theories from different thinkers that don’t have a feminist or communist bent?Please teach me about new media, not Feminism or Communism theory, I hear you, now lets talk about VR.

Monday, November 16, 2009

I find the idea of using virtual reality to create new forms of art intriguing. Being in an environment where everything you see and sense can be manipulated at the will of the artist is beyond even the grandest outdoor projects. I personally would imagine works of art using VR to go beyond simply walking throughout something room or area, but perhaps the device could take you on a journey. It's difficult for me to explain, other than say Yellow Submarine. Basically one could play with what one perceives as reality to serve their work.

Virtual Reality is an interesting topic. Most technology starts off used by the military for bettering their skills. Then it leaks into society and transgresses into many different things. Society takes technology and redevelops, reformat, and remixes the content to fit its needs. This makes anything possible. The creative mind is a powerful tool. If you think about, machines are used by so many people everyday in so many different ways that machines most likely outweigh the population. There is always a fear with making a virtual reality to some, but it already exists in a non stereotypical way. On the subject of reality, one does not need a virtual element to not be "real." There are many fake personalities and emotional masks people hide behind.

Sunday, November 15, 2009

I found the article about virtual reality quite interesting. I have always been fascinated with the potential of VR for creating new forms of art as well as creating somewhere that feels "real" yet exists separate from the painful realities of the real world. I especially like the artists who were taking about their own experiments with VR and what kinds of messages they try to explore with those experiments. I found the more political elements of this article a little disturbing. First, I believe that when you observe any genre with a particular bias you are going to find evidence to support that bias. I think it is unfair to say that an entire genre is a certain way and should be changed to fit your political agenda. I think whatever elements that support these points of view that exist in the genre have less to do with some grand conspiracy of pushing a certain view of the world than they do with the monetary factors that create certain products that conform to those standards. What do I know though. I'm a man and in their opinion these support my world view. I think we spend a lot of time in our culture blaming outside factors instead of looking within. We seem to have the wrong focus. Many spend a lot of time criticizing and blaming behavior or viewpoints on media elements. That approach tends to go no where as very few people in our society are even going to pay attention to some article you wrote complaining about a genre. Not everyone is required to think about and blog about these kind of readings for a class. If we took all that energy and focused on ourselves and our families through education, we wouldn't have to worry about what is getting "reinforced" we would be able to think for ourselves. I believe that the two most powerful forces for change in this world are education and art. It is through these that we can expand our way of thinking and recognize the influences that are all around us. In my opinion that does a lot more than writing articles blaming a genre for its shortcomings and insisting that an entire genre be changed to meet with your political view point. There should be room in a genre to create things of all view points. If you do not like the prevailing view point of a drama so much, create your own work in that genre that shows a different one. That's what art is all about, making you think not pointing fingers and doing nothing.

My locative media project is about Rittenhouse Square. This project would start with a website that has information about Rittenhouse Square, its various historical buildings, and places of interest. The site would have a page called the Rittenhouse Experience where one would find an interactive experience that they could participate in. On this page the participant would be able to print out a map and a list of instructions. Also, on this page the participant would be able to download audio files to play on their Ipod or MP3 player at each hot spot on the map. The first audio file would give a general overview of Rittenhouse Square and then go into information about the park that they will be standing in. The subsequent audio files would say a little bit about each hot spot location on the map. There would be a final audio file with concluding information about Rittenhouse.

These are the instructions that they must follow:

General: Start out by traveling to Rittenhouse Square and go into the center of the park, which is your first hot spot. At each hot spot play the audio file corresponding to that hot spot. When you have finished the audio file for your last hot spot play the final audio file. As you travel to each hot spot be sure to look around and take in your surroundings. The story here is as much about your experience of the location as the individual narratives that you will see and hear.

Begin: Start out in the center of Rittenhouse Park. This is your first hot spot.

Path: Follow the map to each hot spot. This will take you all the around the perimeter of the park thus giving you sense of Rittenhouse Square as a whole.

The narrative will be a combination of the audio files and their personal experience of their surroundings. This is more about using audience participation to get them to experience Rittenhouse Square than the individual hot spots and narratives. The journey they go on by following the map is more to give them some kind of structure for their experience and to point out some places along the way that they are given a little more background on. The participant should come away from the experience feeling like the have "lived" this location, but also be interested in exploring more for themselves. It should lead them to want further participation on their own in this area in the future.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

View Experience You - Design Study 2 in a larger map1) For this Design Study I chose to create a map, with specific trigger points located all over the city of Philadelphia. Transportation modes to get to and from each destination are not limited in any way. How you choose to travel, becomes part of your experience. This also gives participants a chance to get a good taste of the city, no matter how they travel.

2) The communication method used for this is a cell phone with picture, email, and gps capabilities.

3) INSTRUCTIONS: This is done with a group of people, like a class, but each participant leaves the group to travel through the city individually. Starting at Washington Square, you are to take 2 pictures of anything you want, using your cell phone and send them to the group at a separate location. Once they receive your pictures they will respond, giving you your next trigger point. You choose how to travel to and from each trigger point. At each place the same process is carried out. The group back at their separate location is to print out these pictures and collect them into a photo album for you to have when you get back from traveling the city.

4) The point of this Design Study is to be aware that you are creating your own, personally unique, narrative. By going from place to place by yourself and taking pictures of only things that interest you, you are creating an experience that is solely yours.

5) ASSESSMENT: You write your own story as you travel from place to place in Philadelphia. The pictures you take along the way are put together in a photo album to represent your personal experience. Everything you do, aside from the places you go, you choose. So, it is essentially up to you how you interact with the city; what you see, what you do, who you talk to and what you take away from it.

I thought of several different communications methods for this walking/driving “tour” of Sellersville and Perkasie. One could be the use of a cell phone where the tourist will call a toll-free number seen on a sign of any kind. It could be the sign for the park, a bridge, playground equipment, street sign, or on the wall, anywhere. When they call, they will hear a recorded list of different stories to listen to—either a history of the general location, a story of the specific spot they are standing in or anything that relates to the location they are in. Another idea for a communications method would be podcasts that are downloadable for the tourist who has planned ahead to take this trip. There would be a separate podcast for each location and I chose this medium because they can be paused and listened to later if the listener needs to stop it for whatever reason. The podcasts would be a narrative of the location’s history and place in the community. With the podcasts, they will receive an itinerary of things to do at each location, like a list of performances at the Sellersville Theater, community activities at the Menlo Pool, the library, and the hours of operation at the Carousel, and snapshot of the menu at the Washington House. Another idea is something I “borrowed” from what museums and zoos do, primarily at the parks. There will be a stand with a picture of the place from when it first opened or some other activity that happened there in past, a speaker, and a button the person can press to listen to a brief description of the exact place they are standing or looking at.

This “tour” is primarily for people who have planned this trip ahead of time. If people are in the various locations where the recorded messages are, they will learn about the tour from a brief introduction or conclusion saying something like “if you would like to learn more about this tour please stay on the line or visit our website at the following…” In the podcasts, the narrator will point out the trigger points, but in the use of the cell phones or story stands (as I am calling them) they will be visible to everyone in the park. The latter are supplemental to the narrative podcasts, but also stand alone stories for those who are not on the tour. The idea of this is to have something that is very random like the Happenings, or Fluxus. Or it can be very planned out, yet different than the last trip like the Cut-Ups. The trigger points are placed somewhere that can be visible to anyone and everyone in that immediate location in order to have maximized participation, which will most frequently be random because of curiosity. This is meaningful because it increases participation from community members so they can learn more about the place where they live. It also increases participation from people who may be just visiting, which increases meaningful because they’ll then learn about a community that is different from theirs.

Navigation Instructions:
1) Start at Druckenmiller Park, watch whatever game(s) may be going on and if there isn’t, play their own game. If they have young children with them, let them play on the playground. After a half hour maximum, get in the car and drive to the next location.
2) Park at the Sellersville Theater where they can listen to each communication device and attend a performance if there is one taking place.
3) Walk next door to the Washington House and order lunch or dinner, preferably after listening to the narratives or stories. If there is a show at the theater, they can enjoy a meal before going back to the show.
4) After the Washington House (or a second trip to the theater), walk across the street to the gift shop and take a look around while interacting with the communication devices. Participants may or may not purchase something.
5) After the gift shop, the participants will need to walk back to their car, then drive to the next location, which is the shopping center. This isn’t as important as the other stops. The participants don’t need to actually visit the stores, but can if they want to. It’s just a convenient location to park their cars and listen to the rest of the narratives. The shopping center is across the street from Lake Lenape Park where they can walk to.
6) Based on the narrative podcasts, take the tour around Lenape Park. If so desired, walk over the bridges to Menlo Park and take the rest of the tour or walk back to the car and drive around to the specified location. (stop at Dairy Queen for dessert if desired)
7) Arrive at Menlo Park and take the tour. Once the narrative is completed here, either walk or drive to the next location—Menlo Pool and the Carousel. If it’s a Sunday and it’s open, take a ride on the Carousel. If the pool is open and it’s hot, take a dip if one-time visitor’s are allowed.
8) Spend some time in the park/playground, especially if there are children involved and also be sure to visit the library where additional information can be found on any of the locations in the tour.

The narrative would be difficult to write without doing some significant research about each location on the tour. I do have a small narrative written as a part of the map. Each location has a short caption, picture, and some even have a web-link for those who want to learn a little bit about each location before making the decision to take the trip. Like I mentioned before, this is supposed to be a narrative tour, but inevitably there will be random participants if the cell phones signs or story stands are put in place. The narrative will be very fragmented because they participants will be interacting with the location or order to fully experience and understand what the narrative is about. This interaction definitely leaves room for chance or improvisation because the participants will not have the same experience as the narrator. Instructions include things like “now go to this location and watch the show if there is one.” That’s pure chance, especially at the parks. It’s outdoors, nothing is the same from day to day in a park. There is definitely more than one story available to be told. There doesn’t have to be more than one story, but it definitely adds to the feel and history of the location.
This experience is more than just one. It’s at least one fully day, if you spend sufficient time at each point on the map. Hana Iverson talked about things that could be experienced by people all over the world. Eventually, participants could be from all over the world once the map becomes more interactive. The goal is to make the map completely virtual eventually, but it definitely takes away the experience of actually being at the specific spot. Significant elements are hearing the sounds of the parks, riding on the carousel, reading books in the library, swimming at Menlo Pool, playing on the playgrounds, eating at the restaurant, and viewing a performance at the Sellersville Theater; things that wouldn’t be the same viewing online. Most everything participants have to physically experience to get the complete understanding of it.

For my design study the technology that participants must have is very simple. Each participant will be handed a cell phone with four numbers in it. Instead of a type of GPS system to help them know their path, a map of the path will be on their phone so that they can read it and not get off the route. Also they will be given a recorder.

The participants will follow the map given to them on their phone. Placed on the map are five specific points on five street corners along the path. There is a sixth point but that is just where they are to start. Two different participants will be going at the same time. In the phones will be four numbers. One designated corners participants must call the number related to that corner and listen to the story. The story will be one of a person who has been on that corner before at a given time. They will do this on three of the five corners. On the two that they do not have the number for they must interact with a stranger on the corner and ask for them to give their story and record it. The two participants will not have the same corners to ask for a story. At the end of the path the participants must call each other and meet up. Since they each had to find stories on corners that the other had heard a story through the phone, participants will share the stories they found and compare them to the ones they had heard on that corner.

This activity opens people’s eyes to the different types of people that can be found in a small area. Often when people are walking through the city they are too concerned with where they are going that they don’t realize the diversity and interesting lives around them. Even if they do you don’t really know background on those people or if they have a story to why or how they got where they are. This gives you the opportunity to notice both.

This game will involve a GPS tracking system for the “Shark” players and a flare gun to mark the new locations of each Hill.The Hills will be a Projected circle from a video projector displaying a large white ring on the ground and located in the spots marked on the map.Once a team takes a hill it will change colors immediately to either Blue or Red depending on the team that has control of the Hill.

3) Instructions

The boundaries for this game will be Spring Garden, Girard, 6th st and 2nd st approximately 1.8 miles in diameter.There are two teams involved in King of the Hill, The Red team and the Blue team.Each team consists of 10 members, five males and four females.The object of the game is to locate the hill and occupy it with all of your team members.The way to capture the hill is by having more team members than the other team for the longest period of time.As soon as the first teammate is inside the designated area a timer begins to count the seconds.If two teammates arrive from the opposite team and outnumber the original team inside the ring a second timer begins and the previous one stops.There is a designated blue timer and Red timer.When a timer reaches five minutes first, the Hill is captured.The contestants are given a fifteen-minute break to discuss what happened and strategize for the next Hill.When the fifteen-minute break is up a flare will shoot into the air from the next Hill.In this round Two “Sharks” are added to the play.Each “Shark”.Has a display of the map and GPS locations of each teams players.When the round begins the “Sharks” are released from the next Hill to intercept the players searching for it.The sharks will be wearing Yellow hats.A shark must tag a player in order to force him to stop.The player is not out but is forced to listen to the shark’s proposition and wait three minutes.The shark will offer the player $25 to quit the game, each time after that the amount will increase $25.If the player decides to continue he is allowed to finish his three minutes and continue to his next Hill.If the player decides to quit he goes to the last Hill collects his cash and is aloud to leave or wait to see the winners.The shark will try and catch one player per round.This will cause confusion and a sense of betrayal in the players who are left.They will be told the player quit the game and left.The team that wins the most hills at the end of the game will split a thousand dollars with who ever is left.The order in which the Hills will activate are Aquamarine, Blue, Green, Yellow, Red.The Red hill will be the location of the final narrative event in which the winning teams will be revealed as well as the players who cashed out and for how much they received.

4) Propose a narrative.

The narrative that is created in this game is an interesting social experiment.It slightly resembles Wolf’s Dilemma in the way it requires trust on the parts of each player to not sell out in order to guarantee themselves money.The players will not be told of the cash prizes offered at the end.It will be a test of a person’s integrity and will power.It will most likely create some sort of dramatic narrative about betrayal and selfishness.If the player is easily swayed by money it will be an easy decision the harms the performance of his team.If a player decides it is immoral or unethical to abandon his team for a small some of money, he will contribute to the win.In a way we are creating a narrative ripe in drama and somewhat epic in scale.It could vary in outcome every time the game is played depending on the interactions of the contestant’s.When the contestants stay till the end and are presented with the money the players who lost and had teammates abandon them will be outraged and the players that did abandon the team that wins will be outraged that they settled for so little when so much more was available.

This design study makes use of the landscape in Northern Liberties and turns it into a physically intense game of strategy speed and teamwork.It changes from a neighborhood into a giant obstacle course.The streets and there layouts will make it difficult for the players to pinpoint exactly were the flares are being launched from.This will force the players and sharks to use natural instinct and use way finding as their mode of navigation.The instructions are designed to create tension allowing the people involved to feel a sense of competition and a small sense of anxiety, which pushes them to succeed.As each Hill is captured the sense that territory is starting to belong to that person will make a subconscious impact that this land is becoming his or hers which will give a person new perspective on the properties inside his realm.The subjective landmarks will stay with them for sometime after the game.Instead of a bench in a park it will be a hotly contested Hill.I feel that this modality of Northern liberties would be fun interesting and good exercise, not to mention if you win, you get some cash.

Overview:The Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) is a well-populated area that thousands of people pass through daily. These people are of any age, race or economic background, and are coming and going to just about anywhere in the world. Because of this extreme diversity, I believe that each person that passes through every terminal has a unique, informative story to tell about their airport visit – be it their reason for travel, where they're going, or maybe just a memory of a vacation in Philadelphia (for a tourist). While waiting at the gate for their plane to take off, people will be able to pass the time by thinking about the “travel story” that they want to add to the collection. Not only will participants be able to add their story, but they will also be able to listen, read or look at the stories that others before them have left.

Communications Method:PHL has six terminals (A – F), so for this locative narrative, I will use three forms of communication. In terminals A and D, phones (or a number for people to call on their cell phone) will be available so that a person can call and leave their story in a voicemail, or call a separate number to hear the stories others have left before them. Participants will be encouraged to tell a story about a place in the world, either their destination or where they came from. In terminals B and E, a classic communication method will be utilized – pen and paper – so that participants can simply write down their name. In terminals C and F, a pencil and paper will be provided, however it will be for drawing – participants will be asked to draw a picture of the route they took to get to the airport.

Instructions:At each gate in terminal A and D, a phone with a blue stripe on it (and signs with that same stripe that has the phone number on it) will be displayed for participants to call and tell a story about any place of their choosing, as long as it is either where they are departing to or coming from. For participants who are walking through the entire airport, they will discuss where they came from at terminal A and where they are going at terminal D. Participants will include anybody/everybody in the airport, and I'm sure many will be resistant at first, however as they start to listen to the stories others have left the many days before them, the more likely they'll be to add their own story. At terminals B and E, small pieces of paper will be left so that participants can simply write their name down, and then pin it to a large map of the world (where they are going) showing the extreme diversity of the travelers' destinations. At terminals C and F, participants will be asked to draw their own map of the route they traveled – then the pictures will be displayed. The outcome of the map is entirely up to the participant, it could result in a simple map of the train that they took to the airport, or could be a weaving, winding road driven from a far distance away. (At each terminal there will be the phone number listed so all can listen to stories left. Also, if one plans to walk through all terminals, they need to only go to terminals A – D.)

Narrative:All who pass through any airport have at least one story to tell – where they came from and where they are going. While these might not be the most interesting of all stories, narratives can easily be born out of this basic information. Also, the idea of placing your name where you are going on a map gives personal significance to one's individual 'corner of the world.' To give more importance to 'place,' the final stage asks participants to draw a map of how they got to the airport, and once these incredibly detailed or overly simple pictures are displayed, a sense of commonality will be felt in all at the terminal.

Assessment:The idea of this project is to evoke a sense of pride in either where you came from, or where you are going. This isn't necessarily pride in your home, however I'm sure that for many in the airport, their destination is their home. It's a given that any random person in an airport can come from any number of backgrounds, so this locative narrative helps to get these people to tell their story in one of the most diverse places of all. The simplicity of asking questions like “where are you going?” and “where did you come from?” help make this narrative accessible to people from all walks of life.